GerUk/GerEng Collection

An Indulgent GerEng Sick Fic

Brought to you by the wonderful people on the GerEng server. They got great ideas over there. We had a lovely conversation about Ludwig being sick and how, with Arthur fussing over him, Ludwig realizes how touch-starved he is.

Ludwig had always been a hard worker; anyone who met him would quickly find that out. It was one of his most admirable traits. But for all its positives, there were some drawbacks. And Arthur knew these drawbacks all too well.

Ludwig had a nasty habit of working himself to the point of exhaustion or sickness. Which was why he was currently bedridden with Arthur fretting over him.

"I told you to take a goddamn break, but nooo," Arthur bemoaned. 'One more page Arthur. Just this last paragraph. I'm almost done with this package, I can't stop now.' Have you even eaten today?"

"I had a granola bar."

Arthur scoffed. "That's hardly a proper meal." The thermometer beeped, cutting the couple's argument short. Arthur pulled it out of Ludwig's mouth, finding the screen flashing red. "40? Ludwig, what the hell?"

"I'm fine," Ludwig argued, pushing himself up from the bed.

Arthur pushed Ludwig back down without much effort. "Not happening," he countered.

Ludwig grumbled some more, but he finally seemed to be giving in based on the way he wrapped the blanket around himself. With the German finally compliant, Arthur wetted the cloth he had grabbed and wiped over Ludwig's face, trying to get his temperature down. Ludwig hummed, appreciating the coolness. He hadn't realized how hot he was until now. Soon enough, Ludwig found exhaustion was catching up to him, and he began to doze off.

—

Half an hour later, Ludwig was roused from his slumber. His mind felt foggy and his eyes still heavy, but he was acutely aware of the hand in his hair. Nails scraped against his scalp in a soothing motion. A soft humming filled what would otherwise be silence, sending a content, warm feeling throughout his body.

He was not used to such soft affection. He surely hadn't felt this much love since he was a child. That had been such a short period of time and was soon followed by political and economic upheaval which led to two wars and many more events that he'd rather not think about.

"Love?" Arthur called, though he sounded so distant to Ludwig's tired mind, "Ludwig what's the matter?"

Well, he had a fever--that was one thing. Now his mental state seemed to be spiraling, he was still tired...and were those tears he felt in his eyes?

"Shhhh. You're okay. You're alright. Shhhhhhh."

Ludwig let out a choked sob. Now he could add confusion to his list of things being wrong. How could something as small as a loving touch strip him bare and break him like this? It was embarrassing and made the situation even more overwhelming.

"Oh, darling. It's going to be okay. Shhh."

"I-I'm sorry," Ludwig blubbered, "I-I don't know what's came over me."

"Never apologize for this kind of thing," Arthur murmured against Ludwig's forehead, "I've learned the hard way, it's not good to push it all down."

Ludwig sniffed. He hated this. He hated being sick, he hated crying, and most of all he hated this affection. Okay, that last one was a huge lie, but he did hate the way that simple affection seemed to overwhelm him. But at the same time, he didn't want Arthur to stop.

"You're safe," Arthur said softly, pulling Ludwig closer, "I'm right here."

Ludwig cuddled closer, head coming to rest right over Arthur's steady heartbeat. As he made himself comfortable, Arthur began humming once more. The steady beat of his lover's heart and the sweet song that once again filled the room were enough to finally get Ludwig's spinning mind to settle. Arthur had a very nice voice. Smooth, silky, perfect for lullabies in Ludwig's opinion, but also it worked surprisingly well for rougher, louder punk songs.

He was almost asleep when Arthur began to move. Ludwig wouldn't have minded if it wasn't for the fact that Arthur seemed to be getting up. "No," Ludwig practically whined.

"You need to eat something," Arthur explained gently. It was a tone Ludwig would have never seen Arthur using--that was until they started dating. The Brit was a surprisingly attentive and affectionate lover despite his ill temper and standoffish behaviour. It was a side very few got to see and Ludwig loved it.

"But... B-But..." He was about to sound like a child, but maybe, just maybe he could also let Arthur see his hidden side. "I-I'll be cold..."

Arthur smiled softly, biting back a laugh. "Oh my darling," he sighed, shaking his head.

If Ludwig's cheeks weren't red before, they certainly were now. "Sorry... I don't know--"

"It's sweet Ludwig really. You want cuddles that bad?"

The German looked away. "M-Maybe... At... At least until I fall asleep."

Arthur let out another sigh. "I guess you could have a nap while I make you lunch."

"You are not burning down my kitchen."

"Hey, it's a simple soup recipe Afonso helped me learn. Just ask him. I promise I will not damage your kitchen. If I do, I'll pay for the repairs."

Ludwig was hesitant. His lover--despite being fearful of most fires--had a knack for setting them (especially when cooking. But he knew Arthur had been trying to get better with lessons from Afonso. Plus, Ludwig was currently ill and now that he was resting against Arthur, all he wanted to do was fall asleep listening to the other's steady heartbeat. "Okay," Ludwig said, burying his nose in Arthur's shirt.

"Thank you. Now sleep." Arthur's hand returned to Ludwig's hair, and he began playing with it once more. Ludwig hummed in approval. He could feel the burning of a few more tears, but as he let his eyes flutter closed once more and focused on Arthur's breath, he was able to remain calm and drift off into a much-needed, deep sleep. The last thing Ludwig heard was Arthur's distant voice saying: "I love you, oh so very much."

Also, someone made some lovely fanart based on this fic: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/view/pinxxxxxxx/691408475704688640?source=share